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Thunderbird sonic boom caused $22K in damages

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A Thunderbird pilot from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., who was practicing for a weekend air show over downtown Tucson on the afternoon of April 13 created a sonic boom that shattered windows when he surpassed the speed of sound for several seconds. (www.airforcetimes.com) Altro...

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jimquinndallas
Jim Quinn 7
As a kid living at a fighter base in the early '60's in the southwestern desert, sonic booms were commonplace. I don't recall any instances of windows shattering anywhere on the base....
tucsonguy
We love DM being in Tucson and will put up with the daily/nightly aircraft noise. We know that are protecting the nation. Many of them go on 6 month tours of duty in the war zones. But they are well trained in doing that mission. Thanks AirForce.
onceastudentpilot
tim mitchell 10
They can bust my windows anytime.....We have insurance..lol....let freedom ROAR
ad8916
It must have been a slow news day tucson!
JonathonClague
Ooooops.

[This poster has been suspended.]


Yazoo
Yazoo 3
Phil, you need to check your numbers. Having been in the military for 15 years your numbers a way off. The average McDonalds manager makes about $38,900 base salary. With benefits it runs about $40,600. (www.glassdoor.com) Most Thurderbird pilots are senior captains base at $63,200 to majors at $68,100. (airfoce.com) With benefits their total package is in the $103K - $137K range. (todaysmilitary.com) Not to mention the many extras that the demonstration teams receive from their public notoriety. We'd often get bills after a low level flight for livestock that were killed or injured when we spooked them. It just the price of freedom.

[This poster has been suspended.]

Yazoo
Yazoo 2
I'll agree with you on both points! Congress need more than just a pay cut. They need a pay cut, no retirement, no special health care, and a good house cleaning. It was never meant to be a profession. It was meant to be a service. How about we swap athletes pay with Military, police and teachers.....
flyingarmadillo
You need to check your numbers on Congressional retirement and health packages. They have the same retirement and health package as any other federal employee. Which means a 2-term Representative doesn't get any retirement at all - there's a 5 year vesting and then it's based on paying and time in service. And their health plan is just plane jane private insurance. In fact my congressman pays about $50/month more than I do in private industry for the same Blue Cross coverage. Agree about the Athlete's (and entertainers in general) pay to military, teachers, police... All the sweet deal retirement and health benefits went away in 1984-1985.
Yazoo
Yazoo 1
Current salary - $174K, fully vested in 5 year. Military, fully vested after 20 years. (I did 15 and didn't get squat). FERS based upon an average of highest 3 years similar to Military. However congress also has the TSP into which and agency can contribute 5% of their pay. Military does not have that. I like what Ben Franklin originally proposed, no pay and only a per diem. Unforgettably, he changed his mind.
captainjman
yeah - how about we let them get treated the way we are treated..... let the treasury to declare bankruptcy, take the retirement and reallocate that (kind of like what happened to united in the 90's), then a pay cut - but after eliminating one in three since the FE is no longer needed, then lets make a mandatory retirement age of 65- so just when they are making awesome money they too need to step down. And they need to do recurrent training - every 6 months and pass an oral, practical and written exam...alcohol and drug testing and, what the hell, check their background and just like the ATP criterion - they must be of good moral character. My guess is that we will be left with about 20 or so guys on capitol hill. :)
laxlover
Although, athletes create a hell of a lot of jobs.
bevandter
Funny, but the Concorde could not fly supersonic over most of the US. Did all you smartasses who htink its ok to break peoples property: for no good reason I taught on a fighter base #1 Wing RCAF in Francewhere our jocks flew thw 104 Starfighter. They never broke the barrier over populated ares and that plane could do Mach 2. I had to stop teaching however when they took off in pairs, because they needed afterburners to do so. Didn't mind that at all.
nickpiszczek
Exceeding sub sonic is not legal in the contigous states unless in an MOA or over waTER
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 2
Those rules don't apply to the gov't...
Donovan16
Don Thomson 1
DMA AFB is not itself in an MOA, but there are at least 4 MOAs within 50 nm of the AFB -- the nearest being about 25 nm SSW. Not being a military flier, I've no idea where the plane was when it went over mach, but I do know from personal experience that the sound can easily travel that distance.

Breaking windows? Beats the helloutta me how close that needs to be to occur!
smoki
smoki 1
Tis the sound of freedom people. I've witnessed many sonic booms in the past and can't recall one that resulted an any damage much less this but this was close to the ground so the strength of the overpressure would have been greater than one generated by a higher altitude overflight.
ottomaddick
Casey Duke 1
There is a bright side to this story. In his new job as Predetor Pilot, the former T-Bird pilot will never have to worry about the effects of his sonic wake...
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
Cry Babies... Why do people build a house near an airport and then complain about the noise. Sorry guys, I have no feeling for these people.
colinpayette
I'm pretty sure they were complaining about their shattered windows.
sparkie624
sparkie624 -2
True.... But why do they live that close to the airport???
Foxtrot789
Foxtrot789 9
What makes you think you have to be by an airport to hear a plane go super-sonic? In fact, it's probably much less likely to be going super-sonic near the airport... mach 1 isn't exactly an approach speed for landing and at full throttle on take-off you'd be pretty far away from the airport by the time you got up even close to mach 1.
bishops90
Two F-16's took off from KGYH and went supersonic in less than a minute. Rattled windows in my office about 5 miles away. Remember it explicitly even though it was 20 years or so ago. Of course I though it was cool as hell. Everybody else was under their desks. LOL.
onceastudentpilot
Out of Shaw or way back when KGYH was a military base?
nickpiszczek
Pilot should be given a medal...let the homeowners sell their shattered remnants on E-Bay...they would make money.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
Good Point.. I like your idea!
bishops90
"Oh crap"
Wonder if they cleaned that up any?
jkudlick
Probably.
Donovan16
Don Thomson 1
I live about 73 nm from Edwards AFB, and it was not at all uncommon to hear the sonic boom of the Shuttle coming into Edwards when it landed here in California. No broken windows, and as I live on the coast, the flight path wasn't over my house, either.

Compared to our California earthquakes, a boom is small potatoes.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
The noise means someone's up there practicing for our protection. Besides, the booms are covered by homeowners insurance, earthquakes are not (without a special rider).
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
LOL, it is amazing but true.
FLYUTHERE
I hate the modern media, they are so mellow dramatic. Check out the mythbusters and the Navy flight demonstration team, put that window breaking myth to shame http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znlBMHFdCEY
JetMech24
JetMech24 1
The Myth Busters test is invalid. What many people don't realize, and the reason why braeking the sound barrier over the US is not allowed, is when the boom occurs over a dense, urban environment, the sound being bounced from structure to structure is what breaks the windows. The windows can absorb a single boom and be just fine, but when it is fluctuating from one boom and another one bounced from a different structure hits it, that's when it breaks, it can't handle the different frequencies at the same time.
Donovan16
Don Thomson 1
Ahhhhh. Now THAT makes sense! Thx!
JetMech24
JetMech24 1
Welcome, it was explained to me a long time ago when I was little after I asked why it was not allowed.
Donovan16
Don Thomson 1
Loved the clip of flying and pulling over 7 G's, Brian! Too bad they cut out the section on the 'myth busting' regarding breaking glass windows. Damn, I would give anything for a ride along like that!
USAFcptnShades
Best of the best makin' a mess!
HunterTS4
Toby Sharp 0
I hate it when that happens!

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